The Things We Learn
by Ink Shinobi
Summary: Re-Posted to fix AN A kunoichi looks back on what she learned from her friends with someone who knows what she feels all too well. KakashixOC Preview oneshot of an upcoming fic.


Hello there. I was developing a role-playing game based off of a modified version of a D20 system I have played with some friends of mine. Eventually, the mechanics ended up becoming so confusing that I decided to abandon the project for now, but the storyline kept me quite interested, and I decided to develop a fic out of it. I don't have all of the details of it quite down yet, but I do know enough about my characters, the series, and the direction I wish to take and I decided to make a series of oneshots of the fic's universe to get my legs steady and get a general public opinion about my work and how I adapted the characters who were already in place in the series.

With that said, the first oneshot I had in mind was an exchange between a jonin OC of mine and Kakashi visiting the memorial constructed during the Third Great Shinobi World War to mourn their friends and end up reminiscing and commenting on each others' growths since that time.

With that said, enjoy. Don't flame me BTW, or I'll hunt you down and eat your soul.

And of course...

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_Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Naruto franchise, only my original characters. All characters not mine are property of Masashi Kishimoto and the various people who distribute his work._

_**The Things We Learn**_

This stone was small, unassuming... And yet, it was one of the most sobering things that Konoha village had. The small black headstone was carved with name after name after name... This stone was a testament to how truly devastating the work of a shinobi could be. There was one name in particular though, that was being analyzed for the umpteenth time

_Obito Uchiha_

Standing over the monument was a tall shinobi, finding himself there as he was every morning, staring at the same name. It was a ritual that made him habitually late to everything he did, and a ritual that only a select few were aware of.

One of those select few was next to him, a woman shorter than her companion, with shoulder-length black hair and amber eyes that were cast downward at two names placed together that were near the end of the memorial stone.

_Denji Kazuki_

_Mao Kanashi_

Shaking her head slightly, she said to herself, "You know, I've seen this stone so many times and I keep asking myself why... I know it must seem ridculous to someone like you. I mean..." Looking up at her fellow ninja, she said, "War is war, right? I should've seen it coming."

Not shifting his gaze from the stone, he said, "Of course war is war. If it weren't war, it wouldn't be called war, now would it?"

Shaking her head yet again, she said, "Must you do this to me every time? Can you just answer the question?"

Sighing, he said, "I don't know what's to say in this situation. They were young, all of them. It doesn't seem right, but it's a possibility we all know coming out of the academy. It's something we never want to happen to us or our friends, but it's something we need to accept when it happens."

Looking back to the stone, the kunoichi replied, "I know, I know... But at the same time, it doesn't feel right. These people were our friends, our teammates, we were so close and we lost them so fast. The future was so bright for everybody. To think that only the few of us survived."

The shinobi looked down to the shorter ninja and said, "Of course it doesn't feel right. When your friends die, it is a great loss. Not a day goes by that I don't stop by here. I'm honoring the person who made me realize what's really important. I wish he was still here, but I know he's not and won't be. That's why I'm not sad. I am what I really should be. Grateful."

After a slight pause, the kunoichi looked up with a soft smile and said, "If anything, Obito taught you how to be tolerable."

Smiling back at his fellow ninja through his mask, he said, "I seem to remember someone tolerating me quite well way back when."

Rolling her eyes and giving a slight chuckle, the kunoichi said, "A lot of people "tolerated" you back then because you were the pretty boy top rookie. Every girl made the mistake of wanting you. Rin, me, everybody. We grew up. Only wish you would sometimes."

The shinobi laughed at that comment and said, "Grow up? I'm pretty sure I've grown up since then. I am older, I'm pretty sure that's what growing up entails."

Giving the shinobi a smirk, she leaned backwards and snatched a small book out of the taller man's back pocket, she said, "Then what's a nice, mature, shinobi doing with the latest _Icha Icha _novel in his back pocket, hm?"

Snatching the book away from his companion, he said, "It is an _adult_ novel, I'm pretty sure I would have needed to grow up to read it. That's the definition of it."

Looking somewhat serious, the kunoichi replied, "And you live by codes now? The man who preaches that the code is second only to making sure one's teammates come first. Being ab it of a hypocrite, aren't you?"

Chuckling as he rolled his only visible eye at the female ninja, the man replied, "The only one of us being anything is you being insufferable." tucking his book into a pocket onto his flak vest, he said, "It seems that both of us grew after this though, showing what we learned from the names on this stone right now."

Raising her eyebrow, the woman asked, "Oh really? What are we showing exactly?"

Looking to the stone, he said, "Well, Obito taught me how to have fun, to lay back. It's because of him I get lost on the path of life, enjoying things. Sure I forget my duties and may seem juvenile in some aspects, but I enjoy the life that I live instead of being a duty-driven shell of a shinobi..."

The kunoichi nodded and said, "Uh-huh... And me?"

Looking to his female peer, he said, "And you... Well, you're talking. I remember you being the shy one of the group. The girl who everyone used to pass over. Now you're talking, displaying that wit that everyone loves so much, and enjoying the time you have with your friends. You turned from 'Kurai who" to the woman I'm proud to call my peer."

"Peer?" The woman piped up. "Most gentlemen say 'equal' in that situation, but I guess I couldn't expect that out of you!"

Laughing yet again, the shinobi said, "If I call you an equal, will you stop antagonizing me and let me get to my team? I think I've been here long enough."

Crossing her arms, she said, "Kakashi Hatake, you will do anything to get me to shut up won't you? I may have graduated later and I'm not some kind of prodigy like you are, but I finally got up to your level. I have my own team now and everything."

Looking away for a slight second, Kakashi said, "Oh, that's right, they assigned you genin, didn't they?" After a slight pause, he said, "Now wait a minute, if you can criticize me on so many things, then tell me, what was the first test you gave them when they met you?"

The woman, Kurai, looked away and said, "The..." She finished with a sigh and, "The bell test, the test you give every team assigned to you."

With a slight smrik, Kakashi asked, "And why is that?"

"Because," Kurai said while looking back at Kakashi, "I know the things you've told me are true. How the team is more important than he individual and the mission directives. I know that because..." Looking back to the stone, she trailed off, "Because of my team... Denji and Mao taught me that, just like you learned from Obito..."

Placing a hand on Kurai's shoulder, Kakashi gave the kunoichi a solemn, "That's what we all learned back then... Even if it took us fourteen years to realize it, we learned. Now you see why I'm here every day."

Kurai sighed and said quietly, "I just... I missed them so much, I didn't want to learn because I didn't want to face it. I owe those two everything, Kakashi. They were my first real friends, the two people I've been the closest too in my life. I still don't want to accept that they're dead. I want to think they're alive somehow, somewhere... I learned, but have I grown? I still feel just as weak now as I was back then because of that."

Not letting go of his kunoichi peer, Kakashi closed his eye and said, "Kurai, I can't call you weak. I've seen you overcome that sadness and become a very promising ninja. I know you're not weak. I only wish you could see what everyone else sees."

Wiping her eyes slightly, she pulled away from Kakashi and said, "I... Thank you. I'm just... I still doubt myself, ask why I'm here when those two were the stronger ones, wonder how I was able to tune them out to focus on my studies... I don't think I'll ever really get over it... I wish I could be like you. Never show my grief."

Kakashi moved his hand under Kurai's chin and moved it gently until she was making eye contact with the copy ninja as he said, "I still grieve, but I remember what he did for me. I honor his sacrifice every day and do what he wanted me to do. Don't dwell, act."

Pulling away and brushing herself off, Kurai began to look more composed and said, "I... I can try. No... No, I will. It may take some time, but I think I finally understand why you keep coming here... And how you're so strong after this. I still have a lot to learn, Kakashi, but I... Thank you. I'll be stronger. I'm leading a team now, I have to be strong. Konoha's future depends on me. I have to be strong so they don't end up like me, like us."

Kakashi gave a soft smile smile and said, "That's the spirit. Knowing you, they'll all be alive, even if we experience a fourth war."

Kurai nodded and said, "Yeah... I'd rather see my name on that monument before they have to see each others'."

Shaking his head, Kakashi said, "Your name won't be on there. Next to Tsunade, you're the best medic Konoha's ever known. You'd be fine."

Softening her expression, Kurai gave a soft laugh and said, "Flattery gets you nowhere, Kakashi, but thanks..." Taking a few steps away from the stone, she said, "Kakashi, I have to go... But thanks for the time. I still have a lot to learn. If I ever start to doubt myself again, you think you can teach me another lesson?"

Looking back to the stone, Kakashi said to the retreating Kurai, "I didn't teach you anything. It was Mao and Denshi, remember?"

After a slight pause, Kurai nodded and said, "Yeah... You're right. Besides, I don't think you could teach me anything positive."

Shaking his head with a slightly amused grin on his face, Kakashi said, "If anyone told me quiet little Kurai Machiko would grow up to be such a wisecracker, I might have died fo shock." Looking to the kunoichi, he said, "Go on, you've got young minds to mold."

Turnign away from Kakashi, Kurai asked, "And you? You still have a team. Shouldn't you be teaching them?"

Kakashi sighed and said, "What's left of that team is a unit I know can function for themselves, I think they can tolerate me being late."

Shaking her head Kurai sent herself off with a simple, "Later Kakashi," before leaping off through the forest.

Kneeling down to the stone, Kakashi ran his fingers over the names of Denshi Kazuki and Mao Kanashi and said, "It seems that you taught her a lot. ...I hope you didn't teach her to be so antagonizing though."

Standing up, he turned away from the monument and said, "We all learned a lot because of you... Thank you."

He appeared to greet the two remaining ninja under his leadership roughly an hour after grabbing the breakfast he ate after leaving the memorial. When asked why he was late this time, he replied, "Guiding a lost soul to the path of enlightenment."

As usual, they didn't believe him.

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Eh, I think Kakashi may have been a little OOC, but I have absolutely no canon character experience in fanfiction, so I still have something to iron out. Then again, I think giving Kakashi a lot of dialogue, and serious dialogue at that, placed the character a little out of the element I know him best as. I tried the best I could though.

All in all, for something written on impulse, I think I didn't do too badly. I have another oneshot that also has a serious tone in the works and then I may try and return to the lighter tone I'm more familiar with in another one.

Oh, and I'm not sure if I should do this now, but since I was going to announce this little contest in the main fic anyway, why not announce it now? Anyone who can guess the meaning of the names of the OCs in my fic successfully has the right to request a oneshot. It's first-come-first-serve and you do have the right to deny. Obviously you wouldn't want one without knowing the characters too well, but I'm leaving it open. Note of warning, the names aren't exactly literal translations, so I'll leave the interpretations slightly open to error. Have fun guessing.

I hope you enjoyed the fic, I have more to come, and I hope I'll have the main story up soon. Snoogans.


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